This invention relates to an apparatus for holding a battery, particularly to an apparatus for holding a battery in a portable electric appliance such as a magnetic tape recorder/player. The term "battery", as used herein, contemplates both a dry or primary battery and a storage or secondary battery.
In a portable electrical appliance such as a magnetic tape recorder/player, for example, a dry battery of a type called "9V. RECT." is ordinarily used as the power source. This battery, indicated by numeral 9 in FIG. 1, has on its top, a male positive terminal 8 in the form of a metal cylinder or rod and a female negative terminal 7 consisting of a plurality of elastic metal pieces arranged annularly to form a socket.
One prior art device for holding such a battery, is shown in FIG. 1, wherein the numeral 1 designates the main body of an electric instrument such as a portable cassette-tape magnetic recorder/player provided with a generally box-shaped chamber or battery compartment 2 for receiving the battery 9. Two flexible insulated lead wires 3 and 4, are connected to the electric conduit housed in the body 1 and are of a relatively long length so that they may be drawn out of the chamber 2 to a certain extent. Wires 3 and 4 are provided with terminals 5 and 6 for connection with the battery 9. The terminals 5 and 6 are fixed to a plastic plate 14 in a spaced relationship for engagement with the terminals 7 and 8 of the battery 9. Terminal 5 is a male terminal consisting of a metal cylinder or rod, and terminal 6 is a female terminal consisting of a plurality of elastic metal pieces annularly arranged to form a socket. To connect the battery 9, battery terminals 8 and 7 are press-fitted to the lead wire terminals 6 and 5, respectively. Then, the battery 9, together with the plastic plate 14 carrying the lead wire terminals 5 and 6 is placed into the chamber 2. In placing the battery 9 in the chamber 2, the lead wires 3 and 4 must be bent or folded so that they will fit in the space remaining in the chamber 2 after the battery 9 has been inserted. Several problems are inherent in the prior art apparatus including: (1) difficulty of replacing the battery; (2) likelihood of breakage of the lead wires due to repeated bending and folding; and (3) possibility of poor contact between the lead wire terminals and the battery terminals resulting from a loose fitting.